After the Strike, Broadway Ticket Prices Rise

The price of a Broadway ticket will rise in the wake of the stagehands strike – but not necessarily because of the walkout, according to New York Daily News. After the 19-day strike, theaters lured back audiences with discount tickets and even a free show.

But it’s only a matter of time before the freebies stop and prices rise, experts said.

"It’s advertising and marketing and the cost of production. It’s everything," said "Chicago" producer Barry Weissler.

The increased costs from the tentative contract between producers and stagehands, including annual raises of about 4% for five years, will be nominal to consumers, he said.

What will make patrons dig deeper for ducats, one Broadway source said, is what producers live for – a blockbuster.

"We owe the $120 [ticket] to hits like ‘Jersey Boys’ and ‘Wicked,’" a source said. "Everybody wants to raise [prices], but they don’t want to be the first. The megahit gives them carte blanche to gouge."